Howard Capital Management Inc. Acquires 62 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,489 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW opened at $343.97 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $350.62 and a 200 day moving average of $365.57. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market cap of $86.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.60, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $400.59.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

The Sherwin-Williams Company engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of paints, coating, and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. It operates through three segments: Paint Stores Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group.